The least seed oil Thanksgiving
The turkey is rarely the problem. Most of the seed oil at Thanksgiving rides in on the fat the sides are made with: margarine in the potatoes, shortening in the crust, oil in the cornbread. Swap that fat and the same dinner carries a fraction of it.
New to seed oils? Start with what they are, then come back.
One plate, two ways
One serving of each:
- Roast turkey breast, 6 oz
- Gravy, 1/4 cup
- Mashed potatoes, 1 cup
- Stuffing, 1/2 cup
- Green bean casserole, 1/2 cup
- Candied yams, 1/2 cup
- Dinner roll, 1 roll
- Pumpkin pie, 1 slice
Our estimates: each dish from the table the app's Cook at home screen uses, its own ingredients plus its usual added fat.
Where the seed oil hides
| Dish | Serving | With vegetable oil or margarine | With butter | Where it hides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mashed potatoes | 1 cup | 5.2 g | 0.4 g | margarine or a buttery spread mashed in |
| Candied yams | 1/2 cup | 5.1 g | 0.3 g | margarine melted into the glaze |
| Stuffing | 1/2 cup | 4.4 g | 0.8 g | the fat the mix is made up with, often margarine |
| Green bean casserole | 1/2 cup | 3.3 g | 0.9 g | canned cream soup and the fried onion topping |
| Cornbread | 1 piece | 5.8 g | 1.0 g | vegetable oil in the batter |
| Dinner roll | 1 roll | 1.7 g | 0.5 g | the oil or shortening in the dough |
| Mac and cheese | 1 cup | 3.1 g | 0.7 g | margarine in the sauce |
| Pumpkin pie | 1 slice | 3.1 g | 0.7 g | the shortening in the crust |
| Apple pie | 1 slice | 8.0 g | 0.8 g | the shortening in a two-crust pie |
Our estimates. Each dish gets its usual added fat (the app's Cook at home numbers), made once with a vegetable oil blend and once with butter.
Read the label on the shortcuts
Store shortcuts are fine, they just carry the fat they were made with. These are printed label numbers (or USDA measurements) from our grocery data.
- Butter, 1 tbsp: 0.5 gUSDA
- Soft margarine (80% vegetable oil), 1 Tbsp (14 g): 6.0 gFrom the label
- Vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp (14 g): 9.0 gFrom the label
- Vegetable shortening, 12 g: 6.0 gFrom the label
- Store pie crust, ready to bake, 1 serving (30g): 3.3 gUSDA
- Boxed stuffing mix, dry, 1 serving (30g): 1.1 gUSDA
- Jarred turkey gravy, 1 tbsp: 0.1 gUSDA
- Peanut oil, 14 g: 4.0 gFrom the label
The biggest easy win is the butter dish: a tablespoon of soft margarine is 6.0 g against 0.5 g for butter.
Gravy gets blamed, but jarred turkey gravy is 0.1 g a tablespoon.
Want more label checks? See the grocery aisles ranked and the skip this, pick this swaps.
Frying the turkey
Peanut oil is the usual turkey fryer oil, and it is not a seed oil. It is about 33% polyunsaturated, against about 60% for soybean oil and 58% for an unnamed vegetable oil blend. If you roast instead, butter under the skin keeps it lower still.
Compare more oils on the oil comparison, or check one in is it a seed oil.
Eating out on Thanksgiving
These chains were open on Thanksgiving 2025 (news roundups of chain announcements); hours vary by location, so call ahead. Grams come from each chain's own nutrition guide.
Friendsgiving: what to bring
- Bring the potatoes and mash them with butter, not a spread.
- Bring a pie with a butter crust. Vegetable shortening's label shows 6.0 g per tablespoon.
- Bringing a side? Cook it in butter or olive oil. Plain vegetable oil's label shows 9.0 g per tablespoon.
Then January: Half by February
After the holidays, cut your seed oil in half in four weeks, no cold turkey. See the plan.
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Common questions
Is the turkey itself high in seed oil?
No. A plain roast turkey breast is low. The seed oil at Thanksgiving is mostly in what the sides are cooked with and in anything fried. See what counts as a seed oil.
Is peanut oil a seed oil?
No. Peanuts are legumes, and peanut oil is much lower in polyunsaturated fat than soybean or corn oil. Check any oil.
Are the restaurant numbers exact?
They are worked out from each chain's own published nutrition, item by item. Long-press any item in the app to see how. See how the numbers work.
Does the app cost anything?
The tracker is free. You can download Seed Oil Tracker for free, and logging your meals, the restaurant report cards, the order builder, the barcode scanner and your goal plan all stay free. Premium is optional. It adds a few extras and helps support the project.
More guides
Seed Oil Tracker doesn't tell you what to eat. It shows you the grams so you can pick your own number. Curious about the research? Read the studies on both sides.